Nutcracker



Aug. 18, 19 70 H. H. TURNER NUTCRACKER Filed Dec. 9, 1968 ATTOZA/EKS United States Patent US. Cl. 146-15 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nutcracker comprising anvil and impact member, both guided for rectilinear movement on a suitable base in alignment with each other so that a nut disposed between them may be cracked by sudden impact imparted to the impact member by means of a spring projected hammer. The impact member has a restricted operative stroke to avoid crushing of the nut meat, and the anvil member is retractable away from the impact member to permit positioning and removal of the nut. A shield, telescopically disposed on the anvil member, is movable toward the impact member to largely enclose the nut during the cracking operation and is connected to the anvil member by tensional means to move the latter toward the impact member, whereby to grip the nut between the two members, and to effect a retractive or cocking movement to the impact member preparatory to its impacting action, and to retract the shield after the nut is cracked. Means are provided on shield and anvil to maintain alignment with one another and with the base, to protect against undesirable frictions, to maintain sightliness, and to facilitate separation for cleaning and repair.

I subjected to a sharp blow by a hammer.

In accordance with the invention, there is telescopically associated with the anvil a shield which may be projected forwardly from the anvil to enclose both the nut and the adjacent end of the impact member, the shield being connected to the anvil by tensional means so that at the same time it urges the impact member against the nut it also transmits a cocking movement through the anvil and nut to the impact member whereby to position the latter in readiness for its impact stroke when subjected to the hammer blow.

In addition to causing the nut to be operatively gripped between the anvil and impact member and cocking the impact member, the shield performs the further important function of confining the nut shell against splattering when it is cracked, thereby eliminating the possibility of shell fragments getting into the operators eyes, as well as preventing littering of the area in which the nutcrack ing operation occurs.

In accordance with one specific feature of the invention, the shield preferably opens downwardly towards the supporting base so that shell fragments will fall onto the base, to minimize becoming lodged between shield and anvil so as to interfere with their sliding contact.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention the wooden base or guide is formed with a transversely sloping surface to receive the cracked nut and down which the cracked nut will normally roll by gravity as soon as it is released to do so by retraction of the shield, thereby facilitating the rapid replacement of the cracked nut by a fresh nut to be cracked.

Further in accordance with the invention, the shield ice and anvil are associated in a manner to permit their ready separation and reassembly for cleaning purposes. Preferably their tensional interconnection is provided by a conventional rubber band or rubber bands rather than a conventional coil spring so as to be readily replaceable.

Further, the means is provided on the shield for covering the major portion of the rubber band whereby to prevent its engagement with the operators fingers.

In the preferred embodiment it has been found convenient to manufacture the interengaging portions of the anvil and the shield of circular cross-section, with the normally downward side of the shield slotted throughout its axial length to provide an opening through which shell fragments may fall onto the supporting base and also through which the anvil may directly engage and be guided upon the base. The rubber band is preferably tensioned between radial projections on both the anvil and the shield in a manner such that the projection on the anvil engages the end of the shield to limit the retraction movement of the shield onto the anvil under the influence of the rubber band. It is to be noted that the projection on the anvil is toward the end of the anvil remote from the area of cracking and that there are not centripetal projections from the shield into the cracking site to provide irregularities for shell fragments to lodge and interfere with the sliding relationship between anvil and shield. In addition to thus serving as the tensional connection between the anvil and shield, the rubber band cooperates with the said projections of these members to maintain the projection of the anvil angularly oriented with respect to the shield in a position such that it is angularly spaced from the slotted portion of the shield and also is maintained out of scraping engagement with the supporting base.

The foregoing, as well as other minor incidental features and advantages are all incorporated in and/or attained by the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment with the parts in positions for reception of a nut to be cracked.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 1, but with a nut operatively positioned therein, the parts being shown in full lines prior to the cocking or retraction of the hammer, and in broken lines with the hammer in its retracted or cocked position, prior to the commencement of its operative cracking stroke.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure as seen from the plane of line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the anvil and shield assembly.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the nutcracker therein illustrated comprises an elongated base 10 which may conventiently be formed of wood and which is adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface, such as a table top indicated in the drawings by the letter T.

An anvil 12. and an impact member 14 are both guided on the base 10 for relative rectilinear movement in alignment with each other. The anvil 12. which, in the form shown, is of generally cylindrical shape, is slidable along a rectilinear groove 16 in the upper face of the base 10 and parallel to the major longitudinal axis thereof. The impact member 14 embodies a generally cylindrical connecting portion or shank 18 which is slidably disposed and guided through the bore of a guide bearing 20, here exemplified by a Wooden block afiixed to the base 10 medially between its ends. Enlargements 22 and 24 at the Opposite ends of the shank 18 limit the rectilinear movement of the impact member in either direction through the guide and their spacing thus determines the length of the impact stroke which may be imparted to the impact member. The length of the stroke may be further restricted, if desired, to prevent overcracking, by suitable washers of cardboard or other sheet material placed on the shank 18 between the enlargement 22 and the bearing 20. A resilient washer 23 cushions the impact between the enlargement 24 and the bearing 20.

The relatively adjoining ends of the anvil and the impact member are provided with sockets 26 and 28 respectively which, being directed toward each other, are adapted for reception between them of a nut N to be cracked as shown in the drawing.

The end or enlargement 24 of the impact member opposite its said socketed end is positioned and adapted to receive impacting endwise engagement by a hammer such as the spring-projected reciprocating hammer 30 hereinafter more fully described.

Telescopically receiving the anvil 12 for relative movement thereon in alignment with the impact member is a shield 32. In the instant embodiment the anvil 12 is of externally cylindrical configuration, though it need not necessarily be so conformed. The interior of the shield 32 is therefore conformingly shaped, being of arcuate crosssectional shape and extending angularly around the anvil in substantial excess of 180, but having a downwardly directed slot 34 through which the anvil may directly engage the base and through which shell fragments are free to fall from within the shield.

Also, it is to be noted that the interior of the shield and the socketed end 28 of the impact member are mutually conformed and proportioned for reception of the socketed end 28 within the shield 32. It will thus be apparent that when a nut is placed between the relatively opposed socketed ends 26 and 28, the shield may be moved to a position in which it encompasses both such socketed ends and cooperates with said socketed ends and with the base to define a substantially enclosed chamber 36 around the nut. Preferably the base is formed with a sloping discharge surface 38 positioned to form the bottom of the chamber, the slope of such surface being such that the cracked nuts will normally roll therefrom by gravity and on to the supporting surface T when the sockets are separated after cracking.

There is provided a tensional connection between the anvil and the shield for urging the anvil 12 against the nut when the shield 32 is moved toward the impact member so that the anvil will exert a cocking movement through the nut to the impact member resulting in movement of the impact member to the left, as shown in the drawings, until its enlargement 22 abuts against the bearing 20. As thus positioned, it will be readily apparent that a hammer blow upon the opposte end or enlargement 24 of the impact member will project said member through the bearing for the full range of its restricted stroke, or in other words, until the enlargement 24 engages the bearing 20, and thus will tend to crack the nut between the anvil and the impact member.

Such a tensional connection in the instant embodiment comprises radial or lateral projections 40 and 42 on the anvil and on the shield respectively, and a rubber band 44 extending around and stretched between such projections. It is to be noted that where the anvil and the shield are of circular cross-section as here shown, the projection on the shield will be angularly displaced from the slot 34 of the shield, so that the rubber band 44 will angularly align such projection on the anvil for abutting engagement with the end of the shield at a location angularly displaced from the slot 34.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the projection 42 of the shield comprises a fin co-extensive in length with the shield and projecting outwardly from its cylindrical wall to extend parallel to the cylindrical axis of the shield. The rubber band 44 extends from the projection 40 of the anvil on opposite sides of this fin and around the end thereof remote from the anvil projection 40. Because of the disposition of the fin between the opposite sides of the rubber band, it will be apparent that the rubber band will tend efficiently to maintain the fin 42 and the projection 40 in relative alignment and the projection 40 will thus be caused to abut against the adjacent end of the shield to function as a stop for limiting relative retraction movement of the shield onto the anvil by the rubber band 44.

Preferably the rubber band 44 is positively maintained on the projection 42 by a bar or cap member 46, which also overhangs and conceals the major portion of the rubber band and maintains the operators hand out of contact with the rubber band. This cap also in effect prevents the rubber band from sliding off the anvil projection 40.

It is to be noted that the opposite edges of the shield on its open or slotted side 34 are adapted for engagement with the wooden base 10 to prevent rotary movement of the shield about its cylindrical axis. The shield thus is maintained in a predetermined position of angular orientation at all times with respect to the base as well as with respect to the anvil. It will therefore serve to maintain the anvil in such an angular position that the projection 40 of the anvil will remain clear of the base and thus will neither interfere with movement of the anvil along the base nor will it tend to scratch or mar the base.

The hammer 30 for actuating the nut cracker may comprise simply an elongated block of wood of rectangular cross-section which is guided for longitudinal movement on the base by a suitable track way 48 which, in the preferred embodiment, comprises a length of extruded aluminum track of uniform cross-section throughout, including relatively opposed horizontal and vertical wall portions 50-50 and 52-52 respectively, together with a depending wall 54 extending downwardly alongside the base and secured thereto by usual means. For causing the hammer 30 to impact against the impact member 14, one or more rubber bands 58 are stretched between pins 60 and 62 projecting outwardly from the hammer and from the guide respectively as shown. It is desirable to limit the retraction stroke of the hammer so that it may impart a uniform impact on each operative stroke, and to insure remaining in the track. To this end, the hammer is provided with a cocking handle 64, and a stop pin 66 on the trackway located in the path of retraction of such handle.

In the operation of the nutcracker in accordance with the invention, with the hammer 30 in its advanced position, the shield 32 is manually manipulated to move both the shield and the anvil 12 away from the impact 14, following which a nut N is placed between the socketed ends of the impact member and the anvil and the shield is then manually moved toward the impact member to form an enclosed compartment about the nut. Such movement of the shield 32 causes it to transmit through the rubber bands 44 a pulling force on the anvil, urging the latter toward the impact member and into thrusting contact with the nut N so that the nut is engaged between the anvil and impact member. With the nut thus in position, and the impact member in its cocked position in readiness for an operative stroke, the hammer 30 is drawn rearwardly by its operating handle 64 until the latter engages the stop 66, whereupon release of the operating handle 64 will permit the rubber band spring means 58 to project the hammer forwardly at a high velocity into impacting engagement with the rear enlargement 24 of the cocked impact member 14 to then project the impact member forwardly so as to effectively crack the nut between the impact member and the anvil.

Since for practical purposes the nut is completely enclosed during the cracking operation, splattering of its shell fragments will be minimized. Releasing the pull on the shield allows the rubber bands to retract it onto the anvil, to be stopped in proper position by the anvil projection 40. 'Sliding the shield and anvil away from the nut permits the nut to roll down the sloping surface portion 38 of the base on to the supporting table surface T, where the nut meat may readily manually be separated from the shells and shell fragments. The entire operation is quite easy in that the shield may be projected to its operative position with one of the operators hands while the other hand is used for controlling the actuation of the hammer.

The shield and anvil and their interconnecting rubber band 44 cooperate in novel manner so that manually advancing the shield toward the impact member pulls the anvil against the nut to engage the nut in cracking position and so that releasing the shield at the termination of the cracking operation allows the rubber band to retract it to uncover the cracked nut. The bar 46 on the fin 42 of the shield keeps the operators fingers out of contact with the rubber band, while the rubber band itself in addition to its function of transmitting resilient longitudinal thrust between the shield and the anvil, serves to maintain the shield and anvil in predetermined angular orientation such that the projection 40 of the anvil is positioned out of alignment at all times with the slot 34 of the shield and adapted to abut against the adjacent end of the shield to act as a stop in the fully retracted position of the latter. Also the relative angular orientation of the anvil and shield maintains the projection 40 out of scraping engagement with the wood base member.

It will be readily apparent that the parts are quite simple, easily assembled and disassembled for cleaning and repair purposes, and that the rubber bands as employed herein are susceptible of ready replacement, while their strength may be readily varied as required by applying multiple bands, etc.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A nutcracker comprising an elongated base; an anvil and an impact member both of which are guided on said base for relative rectilinear movement in alignment with each other; means on said base restricting the rectilinear movement of said impact member to a predetermined range, said impact member being exposed for impact by a hammer; a shield telescopically receiving said anvil and movable in alignment with said impact member for encompassing the relatively adjacent ends of said anvil and said impact member to substantially enclose a nut engaged between said adjacent ends, there being a tensional connection between said anvil and said shield for urging said anvil against the nut when said shield is moved toward said impact member and to thus transmit a cocking movement through the nut to said impact member, and there being a slot the length of said shield allowing a sliding contact between said base and said anvil.

2. A nutcracker as defined in claim 1, wherein said anvil and said impact member have socketed ends directed toward each other for clamping reception therebetween of a nut to be cracked.

3. A nutcracker as defined in claim 2, in which said shield cooperates with said base and said socketed ends in defining a compartment substantially completely enclosing said nut to be cracked.

4. A nutcracker as defined in claim 3, in which said base is formed with a sloping discharge surface positioned to form the bottom of said enclosed chamber.

5. A nutcracker as defined in claim 1, wherein said base is adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface and includes a downwardly projecting abutment for engagement with a marginal edge of said surface.

6. A nutcracker as defined in claim 1, comprising a hammer guided on said base for movement in alignment with said impact member, and resilient means interconnecting said hammer to the base and urging said hammer into impacting engagement with the impact member.

7. A nutcracker as defined in claim 6, wherein said tensional connection between the anvil and shield comprises projections on said anvil and said shield, respec tively, and a rubber band stretched between and connected to the respective projections.

8. A nutcracker as defined in claim 7, in which said anvil and said shield are of circular cross-section, said projection on the shield being angularly displaced from the slot of said shield whereby said rubber band will angularly align said projection on the anvil with the said projection on the shield and cause the end of the shield to abut against said projection on the anvil in the fully retracted position of the shield.

9. A nutcracker as defined in claim 8, in which said projection on the shield comprises a fin projecting outwardly radially from the cylindrical wall of the shield and parallel to its cylindrical axis, the rubber band extending from the projection on the anvil on both sides of said fin, and around the end of said fin remote from the said anvil projection.

10. A nutcracker as defined in claim 9, including a bar carried at the outer end of said fin and projecting laterally On opposite sides thereof to overlie and conceal the rubber band on opposite sides of the fin and to protect same from contact by the hands of the operator.

11. A nutcracker as defined in claim 6, in which said anvil and said impact member have socketed ends directed toward each other for clamping reception therebetween of a nut to be cracked.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,127,917 4/1964 Turner 146-15 3,435,863 4/1969 Dye 146-15 3,477,487 11/1969 Holt 146-16 W. GRAYDO'N ABERCRO'MBIE, Primary Examiner 

